On 16 June this year, a videoconference in a remote mode was held in the framework of the meeting of the Cooperation Committee No 7, discussing the spotlight and progress of the EEA grant for the 2014-2021 programme “International police cooperation and combating crime” (the Programme), and the renewed plan of the initiatives of the bilateral cooperation fund was conceptually approved.
The Ministry of Interior, as the Programme Manager, informed the participants of the meeting regarding the project contracts entered into and the progress over the last half-year, and the monitoring of the Programme based on risk management. Work is ongoing to launch implementation in the second half of 2021 and to sign the agreement of the Financial Intelligence Service, in cooperation with the Financial Capital and Markets Commission, to implement the “Development of the Knowledge of Workers in Combating Money Laundering in Latvia” and to launch the planned “Judicial Experts” draft to be implemented by the Ministry of Justice by 2022. strengthening the capacity of the inspection system and the location of events, which will improve the speed of forensic experts and the support of forensic specialists at the sites, thanks to reserve funding provided by the Donor States, and which would be the seventh and final project of the Programme to be launched.
During this meeting of the Cooperation Committee, representatives of the Project implementers were also invited for the first time to present in more detail the Donors' representatives on what has already been achieved. The State Revenue Service outlined the achievements and further activities of the project “Prevention and Combating of Economic Crimes at the crossing point “Terehova” “road map” and the project “Promoting the cooperation of law enforcement authorities in preventing and combating economic crime in Latvia”.
The Cooperation Committee, when discussing bilateral cooperation issues, intends to wait for the first activities in this area by 2022. At present, the Programme has already approved 10 bilateral co-operation fund initiatives implemented by the State Police, the Ministry of Welfare, and the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau. The Ministry of Interior aims to make it possible for all project implementers to strengthen cooperation with EEA countries, so the Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with the State Revenue Service and with the support of representatives of Donors countries, is currently working on developing bilateral cooperation between the Latvian authorities and the customs authorities of Norway and Iceland.
The next meeting of the Cooperation Committee for the Programme is scheduled for December 2021.